It’s not a well kept secret that 1968’s Planet of the Apes is one of my favorite movies. PERIOD. I love it. Even the sequels I enjoyed. They had there weak moments but what series doesn’t?
When it was announced that the first Retrofantasma Classics of 2013 would show the immortal classic, to say I was excited would be one of the biggest understatements in the history of cinema. So time passed as the program got closer.
My excitement got further enhanced when, as a Christmas gift, two very good friends of mine were sponsoring the movie for me. So I got to see my name appear on the big screen before the movie as well as many cinema passes to go to the movie.
The winter nights then marched on from December and the calendar turned into January. My beloved Oscar nominations came about and then I was preparing dinner for before mentioned friends. An excellent meal of deer as in Bambi Tacos.
Minutes turned slowly as we parked the car, got our tickets, and topped off our stomachs with some popcorn.
The vintage trailers started. What a presentation of trailers they were. My name appeared as the sponsor of the movie and the house lights flickered into the glow that became the movie.
It was a tearful moment as the movie played, as a dream coming true. Some people dream of becoming the president, I dream of seeing really awesome movies from yesteryear on the big screen and hopefully in the glory that is 35 MM.
The movie played all to quickly as the two hour running time went by in what seemed to be a blink. The sights, the sounds, the dialogue all cheered on by a crowd that neared 280.
To wildly applaud as Charlton Heston’s Taylor first reveled he could speak to the apes when he yelled out ‘Get your hands off me you damn dirty apes’ or to cheer on Taylor as he pounds the beaches at the movies reveal with a crowd that size was unimaginable. But yet there we were all experiencing the triumphs of the films protagonist. Many moments like those just mentioned were what made the experience unforgettable.
That winter night will forever pleasantly burn as a memory as bright as the brightest star shines
(For those who don’t know Retrofantasma Classics and it’s sister program Retrofantasma are monthly double features that play at the Carolina theater in Durham. The second half of this great sci-fi double bill was Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey).
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